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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24813865">the announcement central &amp; commentary page</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/peacchy/pseuds/peacchy'>peacchy</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>恋の予感 (𝐊𝐎𝐈 𝐍𝐎 𝐘𝐎𝐊𝐀𝐍) [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Haikyuu!!</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Gen</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-04-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 02:21:37</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>6,854</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24813865</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/peacchy/pseuds/peacchy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘱𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘗𝘰𝘓'𝘴 𝘶𝘱𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴.<br/>𝘐𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴 𝘦𝘹𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘳 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘴, 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘯𝘴, 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥-𝘣𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘦𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴.<br/>𝘐𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘶𝘮 𝘵𝘰 𝘶𝘯𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘱𝘭𝘰𝘵 𝘥𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘱𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘪𝘨𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴.<br/>𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘶𝘱𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘴.<br/>𝘐𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘢 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳, 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘭𝘺 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘤𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23704555">𝘧𝘪𝘤'𝘴 𝘢𝘷𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴</a> 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘢𝘨𝘦— 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙨 𝙨𝙥𝙤𝙞𝙡𝙚𝙧𝙨.<br/>________________________________<br/>𝙡𝙖𝙨𝙩 𝙪𝙥𝙙𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙙: chapter 13</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>恋の予感 (𝐊𝐎𝐈 𝐍𝐎 𝐘𝐎𝐊𝐀𝐍) [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1794790</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>57</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>76</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. a foreword</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="p1">hello from author peacchy! 🍑</p><hr/><p class="p1">PoL is now classified under a series called <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/series/1794790">恋の予感 (Koi No Yokan)</a>.</p><p class="p2">it contains:</p><ol class="ul1">
<li>
<a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23704555">premonition of love</a>
<ul class="ul1">
<li>this is where you can read <em>just</em> the fic in its updating entirety. i’m cleaning up its author notes so i can move its content to this page.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24813865">the announcement central &amp; commentary page</a>
<ul class="ul1">
<li>as mentioned in the summary, this is where we do some contextualizing and close(r) reading. <span class="u">not every chapter will have a digest/forum page.</span> i'll only create them for the chapters i <em>think</em> require commentary. you're always free to comment wherever, though! i’ll appreciate any input you give me. anyway, this will include:
<ul class="ul1">
<li>canon information and how i weave it into the storyline</li>
<li>personal headcanons that have made their way into the plot</li>
<li>haikyuu!! character studies</li>
<li>research on japan as the fic's setting</li>
<li>tidbits of the Crazy Rich Asians themes</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>this is a (somewhat) self-indulgent way for me to lay my thoughts out. with how complex PoL is becoming, i think that there's a need for me to keep everything systematic as the story expands. <strike>i'm a bit crazy when dealing with masses of information and i gotta to find a way to properly organize, if you haven't noticed it yet lol</strike>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24813196">the oc masterlist</a>
<ul class="ul1">
<li class="li1">self-explanatory! i’ve moved this from the main PoL fic and into a brand-new, individual work. it will be constantly updated as the fic progresses.</li>
<li class="li1">this contains a list of character details that i <em>think</em> is necessary to the story-telling process.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ol><hr/><p class="p1">just a little about me</p><ul class="ul1">
<li class="li1">i’ve fallen into the fanfiction hole while on quarantine. while everything's been adjusting to the ‘new normal’, i set up an ao3 account and started writing to pass the time.</li>
<li class="li1">i initially posted PoL as a one-shot. things eventually snowballed and now we're here with an expanding plot and a growing reader base!</li>
<li class="li1">i was born and raised in asia.
<ul class="ul1">
<li class="li1">much of my upbringing heavily inspires the backdrop to this fic universe. although this remains a work of fiction, some of its details ring true to (my experience of) asian society. i understand that this fic may cater to non-asian readers, which is partially why i'd like to provide commentary on this side of the world's way of life— as i know it.</li>
<li class="li1">i am, however, not japanese! so i do what i can with sheer research. most of the locations i put in PoL are <em>actual</em> places found in the miyagi area and i will specify if any are fictional!</li>
<li class="li1">trailing back to chapter 1, though, i found out that japanese schools don’t have detention only <em>after</em> publishing the fic. i’ve decided to leave the premise as is (as a lesson learned) and i’ve since learned to double, triple check before including anything that has to do with the japanese system. if anything is amiss, please let me know!</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li class="li1">i’m currently in graduate school. i am able to write as freely as i can right now, but when online classes roll in, i’ll have to focus on that first. but do not fret, i have no plans of dropping this series. dry spells will be inevitable, but all droughts must eventually pass.</li>
</ul>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. on the educational system in japan</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <ul>
<li>unlike the american school system, the high school levels in japan are comprised of only three years.</li>
<li>students take subjects together as <em>class sections</em>. so no, there's no such thing as 'i take calculus with this one guy' and 'i take literature with this other person'; kids are grouped into one cohesive class and it's the teacher's responsibility to travel to their classroom instead of the other way around. these classroom assignments are in effect for an entire academic year before everyone in the same year is reshuffled into different class sections for the next school year.
<ul>
<li>students, however, are required to go to different classrooms/gyms for classes like PE, lab, home ec, etc.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>school starts at 8:15 AM (for morning assembly, but 8:30 for first period) and promptly ends at 2:30 PM. each student is expected to clean their classrooms from 2:30 PM - 3:30 PM before going to their respective clubs. janitors aren't really a thing in japanese schools; kids are taught to keep their spaces clean from a very early age. this trickles down to <a href="http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20191006-what-japan-can-teach-us-about-cleanliness">japanese society</a> at large! cleaning up after one's self isn't just good because of practicality, it also ingrains a sense of responsibility over shared communities.
<ul>
<li>however! because of how large shiratorizawa's campus is in canon, i would imagine they'd <em>at least </em>have some amount of maintenance workers on call. they do have numerous sports fields and amenities, after all!</li>
<li>plus, they're a private school. i'm sure they got dat ca$h money</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>most schools adopt a three-semester system with the following setup
<ul>
<li>first semester: april-july
<ul>
<li>summer break: mid-july to august</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>second semester: september-december
<ul>
<li>christmas break: december to january</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>third semester: january-march</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>summer break is the longest break; students have one entire month off of school. despite that, teachers will still give them summer homework as a way to keep them 'productive'. yes, it is depressing. lmao</li>
<li>because of how long summer breaks are, most sports clubs will initiate training camps by then. we saw this in the haikyuu!! anime when karasuno joined the tokyo training camp down in tokyo!</li>
<li>kids are highly encouraged to join clubs and committees. the student-leader culture is rich. it's a way for them to develop proper work ethic before they venture into the workforce.<br/>
<ul>
<li>i never went to a japanese school but my high school was quite similar to this setup; a lot of our school-based events (school fairs, for example) are purely run by students alone. from logistics, to budgeting, to promotions— we were in charge of running the whole show.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>since most oc's are in their third year, they'll soon have to prepare for university entrance exams. based on <a href="http://factsanddetails.com/japan/cat23/sub150/item1790.html#chapter-1">what i found</a>,
<ul>
<li>the pressure to get into a good university is <em>cutthroat.</em> they've even coined the term 'exam hell' as a way to describe what the weeks leading up to entrance exams are like.</li>
<li>it's imperative that you get into a good school if you want to 'make it' out there. work culture in japan is extremely homogenous. you don't apply for a job, you apply for a company— only then will they sort you into a department they deem fit.</li>
<li>japan's equivalent of the ivy league is the 'imperial universities' (aka the 'national seven'). this includes
<ol>
<li>Tokyo University (also nicknamed todai; as the top one, it's where the cream of the crop go to)</li>
<li>Tohoku University (found in sendai!)</li>
<li>Kyoto University</li>
<li>Nagoya University</li>
<li>Osaka University</li>
<li>Kyushu University</li>
<li>Hokkaido University</li>
</ol>
</li>
<li>some companies are kind of <em>elitist</em>. i personally am not sure if this is true for japan, but in korea (and some other places in asia), a number of big-name companies will immediately trash job resumes if the applicant didn't graduate from any of the Big X Schools. this somewhat explains why getting into one's university of choice can be extremely nerve-wracking.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>content is subject to change as i research some more!<br/>i'll add sources when i have the time, but most of these bullet points are top-of-mind information i've gathered from the extensive manga and anime i have consumed for the past decade!!!!!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. on the PoL take of the ushijima family</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>i've established some of this in '<strong>to know your place</strong>', but i'd like to take this chapter to fully explain why i headcanon ushijima as a chaebol/zaibatsu son and how that plays into his family dynamics.</p>
<hr/><p>before anything else, let's talk about the canon flashback to wakatoshi's childhood.</p><p>i headcanon the ushijima family to be traditional, matriarchal, and <em>extremely</em> wealthy.</p><p>1. <span class="u">we see that the ushijima family is portrayed to live in a very japanese home</span>. despite her appearance for literal seconds, ushigrandma's clothing choice reflects her tradition.</p><p>
  
</p><p class="p1">2. <span class="u">wakatoshi's flashback literally consisted of his grandmother saying that his 'left-handedness' needs to be fixed</span>. i would assume that this conversation took place during the tail-end of his parents' marriage (probably settling divorce terms) because dad even said something like 'i won't say a word about anything else, please!'. i just think it's an extremely <a href="https://twitter.com/kurapikasdad/status/1222964768668995584">matriarchal thing</a> to demand how your grandson should be raised, to the point of even <em>nitpicking</em> what dominant hand to use.</p><p class="p1">3. additionally, <span class="u">it was wakatoshi's dad that </span><a href="https://ww4.readhaikyuu.com/chapter/haikyuu-chapter-176/"><span class="u">married into the ushijima family</span></a>. from how i see it, marriage (in the ushijima context) was not <em>just</em> a union of two people, it's more of an <em>absorption</em> of a person into a much powerful, much larger family. so like, for utsui takashi to forego his last name (and instead take his wife's) implies a huge gap in socio-economic statuses. the ushijima family must be hella loaded and powerful to do that. last names, as i've hinted in the fic, carry a lot of weight in these circles. remember that one scene in crazy rich asians when nick young's friends found out rachel chu's name? they kept going like, "which chu? chu from x industry? chu from y industry?" etc.<em>— </em>they're not asking because they're curious, they're asking because they're mindmapping just who you are in the rich people scene.</p><p class="p1">4. okay can we also talk about how... <span class="u">his dad had to <a href="https://twitter.com/shoutowo/status/1069001856788168704?lang=ga">beg</a> for his son to keep his left-handedness</span>? just how many grown ass men have you seen pleading to not one, but two women... to top this off, japanese society is, more or less, <a href="https://izanau.com/article/view/sexual-harassment-in-japan-1">notoriously sexist</a>. i just don't think this is by any means typical in a regular japanese household. in that line of thinking, his dad was probably putting his dignity on the line so his son can keep his uniqueness and use it to his advantage.</p><p class="p1">5. lastly, the act of <span class="u">wakatoshi's mom keeping custody over him after the divorce</span>. although i do know that single mothers (over fathers) are the <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2017/09/japan-is-no-place-for-single-mothers/538743/">norm</a> in japan, many aren't very well-off. ushijima's financial situation could be a lot different, though. i simply think that custody was handed over to the ushijima side of the family, not only because i've headcanoned them as extremely rich, but also because of his father's then-financial state. it was revealed that wakatoshi's dad played volleyball professionally. BUT! an injury has caused him to retire prematurely. if you play volleyball for a living, what can you do if you're now <em>out of commission</em>? wakatoshi said that his dad retired before he got married to his mom. did that make him a househusband of sorts? (obviously this doesn't take into account how he eventually became a coach as revealed in the timeskip, but i am thinking in terms of how life was like for utsui takashi <strong>back then</strong>).</p><p class="p1">these 5 reasons are heavily inspired by this <a href="https://veloyay.tumblr.com/post/132859822436/why-going-to-nationals-is-important-for-ushijima/amp">tumblr post</a>. do check it out if you'd like to read up on ushijima's family background more!</p>
<hr/><p>okay, now we move on to how the Crazy Rich Asians theme ties into wakatoshi's background. let's talk definitions first.</p><p>'chaebol'</p>
<p></p><blockquote>
  <p>
    <em>A chaebol is a large industrial conglomerate that is run and controlled by an owner or family in South Korea. A chaebol often consists of many diversified affiliates, controlled by an owner whose power over the group often exceeds legal authority.</em>
  </p>
</blockquote><p>'zaibatsu'</p>
<p></p><blockquote>
  <p>
    <em>The zaibatsu were large family-controlled vertical monopolies consisting of a holding company on top, with a wholly owned banking subsidiary providing finance, and several industrial subsidiaries dominating specific sectors of a market, either solely, or through a number of subsidiary companies.</em>
  </p>
</blockquote><p>okay, not so different right?</p><p>but if we look at the history between these conglomerate equivalents, a quick google search tells us that zaibatsus were actually <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/zaibatsu">dissolved</a> after the end of world war ii. despite that, some aspect of controlled business management remained. read this:</p>
<p></p><blockquote>
  <p>
    <em>Stock owned by the parent companies was put up for sale, and individual companies of the zaibatsu empires were freed from the control of parent companies. The management of the individual companies, however, was not radically changed, and to some extent the coordination and control of the previous organization remained.</em>
  </p>
</blockquote><p>you following? from how i understand this, zaibatsu culture isn't as closely-knit as it was before. unlike chaebols, many zaibatsus aren't helmed by <em>just</em> family members anymore. a number of these financial cliques are no longer considered 'family businesses'. however, that doesn't mean that the family members themselves aren't pivotal to the company lifeline. to illustrate, <a href="https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/What-became-of-the-zaibatsu">Toyota</a> still selects its top executives from the original founding family.</p><p>moving on to the ushijima family, we've established that ushimama is a high-powered working woman at the prime of her career. unlike some chaebol k-drama tropes, wakatoshi <em>does not</em> necessarily have to assume the family business. think about the tensioned mother-son conversation they had before the beach trip. recall their conversation:</p>
<p></p><blockquote>
  <p>
    <em>“This one time— to humour you— I will allow it. Don’t get distracted afterwards,” she takes the newly-refilled tea cup. “I’m already putting a lot on the line to let you pursue volleyball after high school, and I don’t want you disappointing me like your father did,” she takes a sip.</em>
  </p>
</blockquote><p>her tiger parenting isn't driven by her dream of seeing wakatoshi's succession to the company. conglomerate culture has grown flexible enough to allow non-family members to occupy executive seats. ushimama, rather, just <em>simply</em> doesn't want to be disappointed. 'a lot on the line' refers to, well, the ushijima name. and the very real and present possibility of her dear son wounding up the same way her ex-husband did: injured and prematurely retired. despite that, she knows wakatoshi loves volleyball more than anything and she'll gladly allow him to indulge in that sport. he's currently the top ace in miyagi, and top three in the entire nation. she takes pride in the fact that her son has created somewhat of a 'local celebrity' status for his volleyball skills.</p><p>do you think she could afford to see her son fall from grace, especially since he's undoubtedly feared by some, revered by many for being one of the series' strongest? definitely not.</p><p>do you think she'd allow him to get sidetracked for some nobody of a girl? over her dead body.</p><p>if there's anyone who's enabling his "head empty volleyball thoughts only" disposition, i'd have to point to ushimama. <em>if he's going to make it in the volleyball world, he better go all-out. </em>my characterization of her would probably say something like that.</p>
<hr/><p>next!!! now i am going to cry about how much i love ushijima wakatoshi. let me fucking TELL you just how much of an underrated character this poor boy is.</p><p>despite his overpowered self, it's so easy to brush him aside. it's no lie that practically EVERYONE in the haikyuu!!verse sees him as some sort of volleyball monster, almost reducing him to a one-dimensional guy whose only strength... is literally?? just being <strong>strong</strong>. remember the imagery in the shiratorizawa vs. karasuno match where he was holding tsukki and hinata to the ground? and it took the entire team to lift him off of them? that's ushijima wakatoshi: pure, unadulterated power.</p><p>
  
</p><p>but let's take a few steps back, just for a bit. let's tie this character study up with his upbringing.</p><p>his background is by no means a tearjerker-type of story. it's quite the opposite. i think his background is the type that eats you up the longer you think about it. wakatoshi's only concept of a 'normal family' ceased the moment his parents filed for a divorce. reflect on how young he was, how much of an impact that can leave on your formative years. you have a now-single mom who slaves away in the corporate world, a distant father who's thousands of miles away from you, and a grandmother whose generation gap feels abysmal. i assume that before he moved into the dorms, wakatoshi was mostly under the jurisdiction of his grandmother.</p><p>i can only guess just how cold of a house he was raised in, honestly? what's grandma gonna do to foster her relationship with her volleyball-crazed grandson? toss him a few sets? that's definitely out of the question. he probably had nannies with him, but even they had work to do around the ushijima estate. he doesn't have any siblings. i doubt he had playmates. i bet he was sent to volleyball clinics because granny didn't know how to bond with him, nor were his parents there to spend time with him.</p><p>look at how taciturn of a boy he grew up to be.</p><p>because of his relatively isolated and less-than-lively childhood, he grew up blunt, reserved, and a tad bit offbeat— just a little more than most boys. his limited social circle reflects on his subpar communication skills: he's not very good with social cues, he's extremely and unapologetically dense, and he has a hard time catching other peoples' drifts. despite these roadblocks, though, he never does anything out of ill will. he's just so painfully honest.</p><p>i picture younger ushijima to be described as a boy who was never 'fussy'; he never threw a single fit and he was always 'nice' in his own, quiet little way. he definitely grew up an obedient son. and yet, i can't help but wonder: is it because he never had anyone else to 'share' himself with? probably. could things have been different had he grew up with a warmer crowd? i think so.</p><p>and that's why reader's subtle inclusion in his day-to-day is really turning his life upside down. volleyball (and the people he's met through it) is all he's known <em>of </em>and known <em>for</em>. he's starting to get a taste of life outside of it. simply put, wakatoshi's also beginning to discover more of himself through the reader.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>goddd this is all over the place i'm severely sleep deprived but i had to churn this out because hell knows when's the next time my literal, one-half of a brain cell will work again. ANYWAY! i'd luv to hear your thoughts xx bye</p><p>i'll revisit this and refine when i get my sleep :')</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. on the vbc boys</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>okay, i'd like to talk more about how i've fleshed out the vbc boys' personalities for this fic!</p>
<ul>
<li>we know that majority of the club's first string includes third years. we have:
<ul>
<li>ushijima</li>
<li>tendou</li>
<li>ohira</li>
<li>semi</li>
<li>yamagata</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>second years are comprised of:
<ul>
<li>shirabu</li>
<li>kawanishi</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>with the only first year being:
<ul>
<li>goshiki</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul><p>on ushijima wakatoshi</p>
<ul>
<li>as a captain, he's not as 'warm' as sawamura daichi. he's not as 'cultivating' as oikawa tooru.</li>
<li>despite that, i think ushijima is exceedingly <em>genuine</em>. waka isn't the loudest member on the vbc, but he is very observant.</li>
<li>remember when they lost to karasuno? and they had to do 100 serves as punishment? before they could proceed with the drills, ushijima asked if he could have a word with the team. he then proceeded to give <em>everyone</em>, and i mean <em><strong>everyone </strong></em>advice. even if they were just reserve players. for him to come up with such <em>specific</em> points of improvement just goes to show how attentive he's been to everyone. he may be silent, but that doesn't mean he's not observing <em>and </em>absorbing.</li>
</ul><p>
  
</p>
<ul>
<li>i can't shut up about this scene because it still gets me CRYINGGGG to this day. look at how surprised the other third years are!!! they didn't think their wakatoshi-kun would be that fastidious over the team!!</li>
</ul><p>on tendou satori</p>
<ul>
<li>furudate-sensei has a habit of creating volleyball duos whose personalities are complete opposites of each other. take the following examples:<br/>
<ul>
<li>hinata and kageyama: built himself from ground-up vs. born with prodigious talent</li>
<li>tsukishima and yamaguchi: has the natural abilities to be great vs. barely scrapes by, even if he practices a lot</li>
<li>and so on and so forth!</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>for tendou and ushijima, this is what i've imagined their dynamic to be:
<ul>
<li>in terms of playing style
<ul>
<li>unpredictable and nutty vs. rigid and rational</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>in terms of personality
<ul>
<li>cheerful and way too overfamiliar (tendou LITERALLY calls washijo 'tanji-kun' in the manga like he's some CLASSMATE) vs. reserved and unforthcoming (hq manga 395 when iwaizumi was like: do you know utsui takashi?? and ushijima literally. just said: yes.) (LIKE?? ??? ? bro thats your dad just tell iwa-chan)</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul><p>
  
</p>
<ul>
<li>okay moving on,, tendou is also <em>hella</em> sardonic. he'll rile opponents up for the hell of it; people think it's freaky of him to do that because they can never tell what he's thinking. in one manga panel, semi went like: “tendou doesn’t stop; once he gets going, he does”</li>
</ul><p>
  
</p>
<ul>
<li>overall, he's type of guy to go for “immediate satisfaction”. tendou loves to have fun. it reflects in his playing style and flashback with coach washijo, he plays 'volleyball that makes him feel good'.</li>
</ul><p>on ohira reon</p>
<ul>
<li>ohira is one of the vbc's vice captains. because ushijima isn't as 'paternal' as most, i think this is where ohira steps in to tranquilize this otherwise <em>crazy</em> bunch of a vbc.</li>
<li>
<div>from what i've observed in both manga and anime, he has a really soothing personality. he has a calm temperament and he doesn't seem lose his cool.</div>
</li>
<li>
<div>i headcanon him as some type of a surrogate 'dad' because he always makes sure everyone’s playing well (calmed tendou down when he got fired up during the karasuno match, encourages goshiki to do well, told ushijima off for getting peeved by hinata, knows how to cheer people up, etc.)</div>
</li>
</ul><p>
  
</p>
<ul>
<li>i just think. he's a very neat boy and that he must give the warmest hugs lol. he probably has the most matured personality out of everyone in the team. </li>
</ul><p>on semi eita</p>
<ul>
<li>when we were introduced to semi, we find out that he used to be the vbc's main setter before shirabu came into the picture</li>
<li>if you observe his relationship dynamic with shirabu, you <em>could</em> probably say that semi feels some animosity towards shirabu. i think he feels as though he's been 'overshadowed' by the second year.</li>
<li>
<div>additionally, he can be protective over ushijima. throughout the match with karasuno, he's told shirabu not to keep abusing ushijima as a spiker. shirabu feels indifferent to this, though.</div>
</li>
</ul><p>
  
</p>
<ul>
<li>
<div>surprisingly, he's really hotheaded and competitive on court. off-court, though, he can be pretty loud and snarky. his friendship with tendou is based on lots of banter.</div>
</li>
</ul><p>on yamagata hayato</p>
<ul>
<li>okay admittedly, he's one of the lesser-known characters on the vbc</li>
<li>the canon story doesn't provide much of a background on yamagata, so he's not as fleshed out as the rest of the third years</li>
<li>i do headcanon him though to be the type to crack jokes! <strike>like that sendai drifting comment on the last day of the beach trip</strike>
</li>
<li>pls look at how cute...</li>
</ul><p>
  
</p>
<ul>
<li>with the rest of the team, i think he's also a 'big brother' type to the younger boys? look at him watching out for goshiki!</li>
</ul><p>
  
</p><p>on shirabu kenjirou</p>
<ul>
<li>okay, so shirabu's backstory revealed that he wanted to go to shiratorizawa when he saw ushijima play in middle school</li>
<li>this is because he wanted to set for the 'strongest players'</li>
<li>i feel like the reason why coach washijo bumped him as a starter setter (and moved semi out) is because shirabu knows how to be <em>inconspicuous. </em>like,, he knows how to work behind the scenes to allow their strongest weapon (aka ushijima) to shine; and this happens to be the very cornerstone of shiratorizawa's playing style</li>
<li>with his personality though, he's shown to be composed (throughout most of the game) but he <em>can</em> get petty. remember when tsukishima stuffed ushijima's spike?</li>
<li>even if he has a temper on court, he knows how to pull himself together. shirabu's as equally stubborn as ushijima is when it comes to the belief that sheer strength can plow through any play. just read this panel of coach washijo reflecting on shirabu's personality:</li>
</ul><p>
  
</p><p>on kawanishi taichi</p>
<ul>
<li>he's such. a good-looking boy</li>
<li>klkjgkj anyway, he somewhat reminds me of tsukishima: a bit snarky, somewhat lazy, but an extremely skilled blocker</li>
</ul><p>
  
</p>
<ul>
<li>he strikes me as the type of boy who won't 'fight any uncertain battles'</li>
<li>he's analytical enough to stop karasuno's synchro attack, a weapon they've put so much pride on for its unpredictability!!</li>
</ul><p>
  
</p>
<ul>
<li>i headcanon him to be a really shy boy?? like he doesn’t talk very much but he can get flustered if you put him on the spot. he’ll say some snarky shit and get away with it unless tendou’s there to tease him back. he and shirabu are probably good friends because they’re in the same year, and they just.. seem like they’d vibe together. lol</li>
</ul><p>on goshiki tsutomu</p>
<ul>
<li>admittedly, goshiki wasn't a favoured character of mine?</li>
<li>it was only in season 4's shiratorizawa training camp when i found him so endearing lol</li>
<li>goshiki seems like he has the golden child syndrome, like he grew up being fawned over so he thought that praise directed to him should only be natural</li>
<li>but when he entered shiratorizawa's vbc, obviously he came to realize that he wasn't hot shit after all lol</li>
<li>like. this scene from se04ep03 was so funny helpppp</li>
</ul><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p>
<ul>
<li>from this scene alone you can just... infer that goshiki is The Club Attention Whore</li>
<li>and that's why i think he's sooo competitive with ushijima to begin with? because he wants to be SEEN</li>
<li>he's just baby</li>
</ul><p>
  
</p>
<ul>
<li>*cue shirabu saying stfu goshiki nobody cares*</li>
</ul><hr/><p>anyway i found this twitter account called <a href="https://twitter.com/notshiratori?lang=en">incorrect shiratorizawa</a> and it has the funniest gotdamn tweets ever. here are my personal favorites</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>(THIS ONE REALLY SENT ME!!! PETTY USHIJIMA? i agree. thank you)</p><p>
  
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. on 'old money' vs 'new money'</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>okay i think it bears repeating that this commentary speaks from <strong>my own personal experiences</strong>!<br/>this also means that i am not, in any way, speaking on behalf of any one group, community, society, etc.<br/></p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>right! let's get to it!</p>
<hr/><p>first, let's discuss the 'old money' and 'new money' definitions</p><p><strong>old money </strong>are (often distinguished) family names. their wealth has been accumulated throughout <em>generations— </em>we're talking about great-great-grandpa-levels here. old money families have long been involved in land ownership, mining, banking, shipping, trading— basically, <em>large-scale businesses</em> that have been around since time immemorial. usually, their companies have grown so big to the point of practically monopolizing over their respective industries and/or expanding their business portfolios to grow more 'arms' for other industries (aka conglomerates). in short: they're big and powerful.</p><p><strong>new money </strong>are families that have acquired their (often windfall-like) wealth within the current generation <em>or</em> last few generations. it's difficult to pinpoint exactly what type of industries they're involved in (because there's just so many!!), but the point is that their roots don't go as deep as the old money do. new money wealth is a result of tenacity and hard work, whereas old money wealth is passed down from one generation to the next.</p>
<hr/><p>are all rich people the same? not necessarily! there's somewhat of a <strong>gap </strong>between the old money and new money.</p><p>old money don't share the same type of family history that the new money do. this is reflected in the difference between <strong>upbringing</strong>. if you've been around both types for long enough, you can pinpoint the variations in how they 'move about' in the world. this is a bit anecdotal of me, but let me tell you a short story:</p>
<p></p><blockquote>
  <p>so this made rounds in my town, right. this guy went to a ferrari showroom (this store wasn't selling merchandise, they were selling the actual cars) wearing a plain white t-shirt, some khaki shorts, and flip flops. he tried talking to several showroom assistants asking for car details and prices, but they didn't give him any attention as they were obviously miffed that someone so underdressed was walking around in such a luxurious space. because of that, this guy got really pissed. like damn i'm trying to talk to you here, i'm a customer. and the management was like, "lmao yeah right" and they had him escorted out of the premises. the next day, this same guy comes in wearing the exact same outfit— the only difference was that he brought a bag full of cash. like, crisp new bills and all. he was like, "what?? did you not think i had enough money to buy a ferrari or something?"</p>
  <p>needless to say, the management got really embarrassed by the entire ordeal and the guy walked out with new keys lol</p>
</blockquote><p>in my experience, old money asians are very modest and unassuming. the keyword here is <em><strong>discretion</strong></em><strong>. </strong>they don't flaunt. where i'm from, you could be lining up at a store and you can literally be standing next to a millionaire and you'll never know. that's their brand of low-key. NM people will post pictures of their newest designer handbags, tweet their upscale condo units, and ramble on about that divine wine-tasting tour they had in italy. OM, on the other hand, don't feel the need to do all that. they're tight-lipped people when it comes to their riches— "why bother flaunting if that's been my way of life since birth?"— it's something to that extent.</p><p>in essence: NM are excitable (they hop on trends, they show off), OM are discreet (they make obscene purchases like it's nothing).</p><p>now, the reason why (most) NM are like this is because they have this 'work hard, play hard' attitude— which makes sense, right? with all these new opportunities coming in, why hold yourself back? it's just that— much of this enthusiasm is translated as 'flashy', 'gaudy', or 'overambitious' to the OM, who are more practical (but with that rich money flair) or subdued (so as not to attract too much attention).</p><p>this was shown in chapter 13: </p>
<p></p><blockquote>
  <p>
    <em>Yua tilts her slender wrist, checking the vintage Cartier timepiece. The heiress was fully capable of purchasing whatever obscenely gold-encrusted watch her eyes could land upon, but she was a slave to the brown leather’s practicality. Never one to flaunt, she bears her countryside riches in more subdued, timeless ways.</em>
  </p>
</blockquote><p>and</p>
<p></p><blockquote>
  <p>
    <em>Yua had never been one for the Hermès line’s brighter leather variants— she found fuchsia too eye-catching, orange too gaudy. Tri-color chèvre was out of the question. The most she could dare go out in was <a href="https://www.christies.com/features/Deconstructed-The-Hermes-Himalaya-9532-3.aspx#:~:text=The%20Himalaya%20Birkin%20is%20crafted,majestic%2C%20snow%2Dcapped%20Himalayas.">Himalaya crocodile</a>— but even that was reserved for her trips to the west. That bag’s value is too ostentatious for Japanese standards.</em>
  </p>
</blockquote><p>honestly, some OM people can be sooo elitist that they'll quip something along the lines of "you can buy all the bags/cars/shoes/watches that you like, but you can't buy proper breeding!"</p>
<p></p><blockquote>
  <p>
    <em>Yua hides behind another fake smile. Cocky, aren’t they. She finds it funny how arrogantly they order another bottle of wine— had the Ushijima Group dealt with another hotelier giant, these young bloods wouldn’t be sitting on their newly-acquired wealth to begin with. Her corporation was the one that developed their lands, after all.</em>
  </p>
</blockquote><p>in short: the NM way of exuberance contrasts the OM values of prudence. but please do not think of these two types of rich as 'good rich' vs 'bad rich'; there is no such thing! <strike>(unless money was accumulated through crime and illegal activity uhhhhhhh)</strike></p><p>another thing is that rich people (NM and OM alike) tend to??? scrutinize each other? i don't know how to explain it. it's kind of... hidden. but it's there. they kind... gauge your worth i guess? based on how you dress? for example:</p>
<p></p><blockquote>
  <p class="p1">
    <em>Yua mirrors her own greeting of a laugh before grabbing hold of her son’s forearm, telling him to greet the opposite family. Wakatoshi's timepiece glistens under the overhead light. Eiichi takes a discreet glance and in mere seconds, he maps out the watch model, year it was released, and estimated price range.</em>
  </p>
  <p class="p1">
    <em>The father's face is well-pleased. This Ushijima boy knows his stuff, he thinks. It'll only be years before he graduates from TAG Heuer and moves on to Rolex.</em>
  </p>
</blockquote><p class="p1">(TAG Heuer is kinda like the college kid or yuppie watch to have? sometimes the rich boys will start wearing this as early as high school, usually as gifts or hand-me-downs from their dads. Rolex is more upscale and targeted for (older) professionals.)</p><p class="p1">while lurking the internet for research (lol), i came across this <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/japan/comments/918o8i/what_are_the_wealthy_like_in_japan/">reddit thread</a> about the rich-people-culture in japan.</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">("this is what life should be anything less is worse" is <em>so ushijima matriarch territory</em>)</p><p>once again, i'm not speaking about this topic as if it's the pure, unfiltered truth. we're dealing with the human condition here. there will <strong>always</strong> be grey areas. <strong>it's always a matter of personal preference.</strong> some NM exhibit OM mannerisms and vice versa. it all depends on a number of other factors as well. one of the most pretentious guys i know comes from an OM family and he literally only ever talks about his family business(es). i have a NM friend whose wardrobe is 70% thrift shop buys. this is purely my own experience of growing up amidst these (asian) circles, so take these observations with a grain of salt. i just want to write this down for further contextualization of PoL.</p>
<hr/><p>
  <span class="u"> <b>this comment validates what i said!</b> </span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span class="u"> <strong>but then, they can also be like this!</strong> </span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>(the burying gold bit is completely true. my dad knows a guy who does this lol)</p><p>
  <strong>  </strong>
</p><p>
  <span class="u"> <strong>like i said: it's the human condition. people are different in their own ways.</strong> </span>
</p><p>
  <strong>  </strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>  </strong>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. an announcement</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>[tiny spoiler for 402]</strong>
</p><p>haikyuu manga ended a few hours ago and i am still in mourning. i will forever be in mourning. since when did you guys start following haikyuu? when it came out, i was riding on the sports anime craze (knb, free!) so i thought i'd give haikyuu a try back in 2014.</p><p>i was in high school then. i'm in grad school now. it's crazy how big of a backdrop haikyuu has been to my adolescence. to tell you the truth, i enjoyed my time in high school but i think it was way dimmer than it was compared to my stay in uni for undergrad. that anime was the the very thing that kept me afloat. i feel like i grew up with those volleyball boys. i mean, the main timeline started with them in high school. and it ends with the characters going their own ways, some diverging from volleyball to pursue their dreams the same way i'm off to study some more. and i don't know, i just feel so sentimental about it because i'm closer to the timeskip age than i am pre-timeskip now. it's like my haikyuu experience has bled into my adult life. i watched those boys grow while i grew up too.</p><p>ahh;; i'm so sorry for rambling. i'm still trying to process everything. i'm so happy i found an anime i can hold so close, so dear to my heart. i'm so happy that out of the very few shows i've been following religiously, haikyuu is the one i've decided to stake years worth of appreciation on. thank you furudate for giving us this beautiful story. more than just volleyball, it's also about love— and i don't mean it in the romantic sense. i'm talking about love for the game, love for other people, love for ambition, love for growth. i have never encountered such realistic characters in the past decade that i have been a weeb, and because of that, haikyuu will always top my list of favourite shows.</p><p>i cried so hard when 401 dropped, i cried even harder with 402. i don't think i can ever, <em>ever </em>cohesively string together the sentimentality i have for this show. and perhaps, with most things that i love, i don't have to. haikyuu remains to be that glowing warmth in my chest, that fond smile on my face when i think about the characters i have grown to love so much.</p><p>#ThankYouFurudate and #ThankYouHaikyuu, i will continue to do the haikyuu universe justice and adhere to the timeskip plot as much as i can.</p><p>that being said... <strong>USHIJIMA IN PARIS?? TENDOU CHOCOLATIER?! RICH BOY UNIVERSE IS CANON</strong></p>
<hr/><p>
  <strong>[moving on to the announcement itself]</strong>
</p><p>i have to prepare for my online classes this coming week. i have no idea how heavy it could be, granted that my school has since amped their online learning methods to adjust to the 'new normal'. with this, chapter 20 will be the last bi-weekly chapter of PoL.</p><p>the good news, however, is that i've prepared outlines for four more chapters. i will be uploading them on a weekly basis. and when i have the free time, i will continue writing more plot developments and in effect, create more outlines.</p><p>of course, it also bears repeating that much of this story is driven by the readers. this means that the plot is always developing, always progressing with the 'temperature checks' i get in the comments. PoL is the type of fic that carries an aspect of <em>openness</em>, which is why i deeply value your commentary on the plot.</p><p>in short, i'm posting this as a heads-up for my situation in the upcoming weeks :c i hope you can understand! but just as i promised before, i have <strong>no plans of ever</strong> dropping PoL.</p>
<hr/><p>anyway, thanks for reading! i'm sending you love. take care. ❤️</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. i’m alive, don’t worry!</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>is anyone gonna read this. lmao</p><p>okay anyway hello! peacchy here. just dropping by to let you guys know that i’m still alive. i’m a shell of a person (due to grad school, among other things) but i am alive.</p><p>i haven’t updated in so long. i’m really sorry about that. but once again, i’d like to reiterate that i’m not dropping PoL.</p><p>don’t worry babes; i have waaaay too many plot developments lined up and i will Not Allow Myself To Disappear From Ao3 Without Publishing Them. on god we are going to WRITE them bro.</p><hr/><p>thank you so much to everyone who has been reading, rereading, and patiently waiting. also i want you guys to know that i like to Lurk 👀 i see that some readers have tweeted/posted about this fic as recommendation. if you’ve done that, come here. let me kiss you. mwa.</p><hr/><p>i’ve noticed that my last two chapters are quite short? and i don’t feel like i’m giving you guys the due storytelling quality that you deserve? i haven’t churned anything out recently because i don’t want to compromise chapter lengths for rushed developments. i just think you guys must always, <em>always</em> read quality content. and just because i’m in grad school doesn’t mean that the fic quality must deteriorate as a result.</p><hr/><p>hmm what else…</p><p>can i spoil? or maybe give some teasers for my next story arc(s)?</p><p>okay, maybe i’ll give one.</p><p>but feel free to scroll past this if you don’t want to know lol.</p><p>
  <strike>i’ve plotted out a love triangle development with another hq boy. ushibaby is still endgame of course, but expect the fic tags to update Very Soon. Very Very Soon.</strike>
</p><p>
  <strike>you think the pining ends with JUST ushibaby? SIKE!! there’s a round 2! double the pain! i have the WORST second lead syndrome so i JUST HAVE TO write it!</strike>
</p><hr/><p>so!</p><p>how are you guys doing? let me know how life has been! are you coping alright with online classes? how’s work? did you pick up a new hobby? what’s something that’s keeping you busy?</p><hr/><p>thinking of you always,</p><p>peacchy 🍑</p>
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<a name="section0008"><h2>8. sign of life?</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>hi everyone!! <strike>omg i miss you guys so much. this is the longest i've ever gone without updating.....</strike></p><p>i'm just dropping by to let everyone know that:</p><ul>
<li>i'm fine!
<ul>
<li>this current semester is extremely demanding and i've been working 110%  just to stay afloat ;-;</li>
<li>i'm in the middle of exams season so please send me your prayers,, or good intentions! or manifestations!!!</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>i'm drafting a new update! (or two! i don't know!)
<ul>
<li><strike>idk tho don't take my word for it</strike></li>
<li><strike>of course there's also quality &gt; quantity</strike></li>
<li>
<strike>only the best for you guys</strike><strike></strike>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>i need a beta reader! multiple ones, maybe! i thrive on feedback!!!!!
<ul>
<li>a few people have actually commented (under the main fic) to express their interest!!</li>
<li>but i haven't really gotten around to responding since it slipped my mind when school started...</li>
<li>please let me know if you're interested to be a beta reader 🥺</li>
<li>idk how this goes honestly..... errrr would discord be fine? or is email better? either way, my discord is peacchy#9392 and my email is heypeacchy@gmail.com</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul><hr/><p>omg and before i forget!</p><p>so you know how so many people are like "ushijima's right there but i'm falling for your oc kato" 😭😭 LMAOOOO you guys are so funny</p><p>tbh kato's characterization is heavily influenced by how my male best friends treat me! they're bullies (WELL. ride or dies.. but still bullies) so it's hella entertaining reading how much you guys adore him! <strike>is this what you guys like..... getting treated like dumb little sisters... ? ?///?????????</strike></p><hr/><p>hmmm what else....</p><p>thank you for the comments you've been leaving ❤️ i was just thinking about how PoL broke 30k hits and 1k kudoses recently.... like that's so crazy i still can't wrap my head around how this was supposed to be a one shot and now there are hundreds of you guys who've subscribed to the fic.... what the fuck what the fuck......... <strike>i need to WRITE i need to FEED</strike></p><p>also, thank you to those who've sent me fan mail 😫 i'm sorry if i haven't responded yet! <strike>i don't wanna send a half-assed reply while sleep deprived</strike> but please know that it means the world to me that you guys would take the time out of your day to let me know what you think of PoL~ your messages keep me going!</p><p>anyway, that's all for now! an update should be up by this weekend! i hope!!! <strong>it depends on whether or not i find beta reader/s in time,,</strong></p><p>hope you guys are keeping safe. thank you for being so patient with me, thank you for reminding me to stay healthy and take breaks. i hope the same thing for you! let me know how coronavirus season 2 is treating y'all 🤡</p><p>love ya!</p><p>peacchy 🍑 </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>by the way— i'm sending out a huge thank you to <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/comments/316040767">RoseB</a> for the idea of turning PoL into a work series!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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